GPs - What is going on?
Discussion
Red9zero said:
I got a call saying I needed to see the doctor after a recent blood test. Asked to book an appointment, but none available for the next two weeks, which is all they could book. Tried another three times since then, but still nothing available. Wouldn't be so had, but it's them that want to see me !
Exactly the same happened to my wife recently! She did a medium level of getting in strop with them and next thing one of the nurses called back and made an appt for her.Well the problem is there isn't enough GPs for the number of patients they have to look after. A GPs time can only go so far.
Despite what BoJo says there are fewer GPs now that there were in 2015 when the Tories promised more GPs. In that time the population has got bigger and older.
A GP job is not attractive. Lots of admin, a gatekeeper to specialist services as patients can't be trusted to self refer accurately, only 10 minutes to make an assessment of a patient and then associated referrals, reading of results, sorting follow ups, ok'ing prescriptions, additional phone calls over lunch etc. There are a small number of junior doctors who want to be a GP and when they get there they often drop to part time/the older GPs will retire early because of the workload.
Telephone consultations offer lots of flexibility, GPs can talk to more patients in a session if they use the phone rather than face to face. Face to face you have the slow walk to and from the consultation room which takes up 20% of the 10 minute appointment time, and they can phone earlier if they run ahead rather than wait for a patient to turn up.
If you don't like where the NHS is going you should vote your opinion but most here do not dare vote for Labour and there is no other alternative so we'll likely be stuck with an ever degrading service over the next decade as well.
Despite what BoJo says there are fewer GPs now that there were in 2015 when the Tories promised more GPs. In that time the population has got bigger and older.
A GP job is not attractive. Lots of admin, a gatekeeper to specialist services as patients can't be trusted to self refer accurately, only 10 minutes to make an assessment of a patient and then associated referrals, reading of results, sorting follow ups, ok'ing prescriptions, additional phone calls over lunch etc. There are a small number of junior doctors who want to be a GP and when they get there they often drop to part time/the older GPs will retire early because of the workload.
Telephone consultations offer lots of flexibility, GPs can talk to more patients in a session if they use the phone rather than face to face. Face to face you have the slow walk to and from the consultation room which takes up 20% of the 10 minute appointment time, and they can phone earlier if they run ahead rather than wait for a patient to turn up.
If you don't like where the NHS is going you should vote your opinion but most here do not dare vote for Labour and there is no other alternative so we'll likely be stuck with an ever degrading service over the next decade as well.
My wife is seeing patients face to face for a long time it’s back to normal.
Where she works it’s hard graft, her day is normally 40-50 patient contacts, 50-60 prescriptions to sort, 60 letters/referrals to check follow up and around check 40 blood results, etc.
It pays OK but not a cost job. Easy to criticise when you want “just” a quick appointment. Where she works people are seen properly but done triage needs doing. No one is really fobbed off. Other GP practices may work differently. This one is central London, busy!
Where she works it’s hard graft, her day is normally 40-50 patient contacts, 50-60 prescriptions to sort, 60 letters/referrals to check follow up and around check 40 blood results, etc.
It pays OK but not a cost job. Easy to criticise when you want “just” a quick appointment. Where she works people are seen properly but done triage needs doing. No one is really fobbed off. Other GP practices may work differently. This one is central London, busy!
CrgT16 said:
My wife is seeing patients face to face for a long time it’s back to normal.
Where she works it’s hard graft, her day is normally 40-50 patient contacts, 50-60 prescriptions to sort, 60 letters/referrals to check follow up and around check 40 blood results, etc.
It pays OK but not a cost job. Easy to criticise when you want “just” a quick appointment. Where she works people are seen properly but done triage needs doing. No one is really fobbed off. Other GP practices may work differently. This one is central London, busy!
Your wife's practice sounds one of the better ones, but still sounds like its understaffed and I'd imagine people who need to be seen are having to waitWhere she works it’s hard graft, her day is normally 40-50 patient contacts, 50-60 prescriptions to sort, 60 letters/referrals to check follow up and around check 40 blood results, etc.
It pays OK but not a cost job. Easy to criticise when you want “just” a quick appointment. Where she works people are seen properly but done triage needs doing. No one is really fobbed off. Other GP practices may work differently. This one is central London, busy!
CooperS said:
Tbh whilst I’ve not had the ending you had to your situation I too explained I’d like to see someone about my eye (haven’t seen a GP since 2013) to be told in a weeks time you’ll get a phone call (that i did receive) to be told it’s probably stress or diet or sleep but go to the optician just to be safe to get my eyes checked over…..
I was talking to a a guy at work with a wife who works in A&E and I think the Hospitals are getting ceremoniously pissed off with GPs not seeing folk who end up in A&E.
Saying that i know of two young GPs who come out of the profession due to stress and feeling over worked. That’s a long time to train to pull the parachute before your 35.
I was talking to a a guy at work with a wife who works in A&E and I think the Hospitals are getting ceremoniously pissed off with GPs not seeing folk who end up in A&E.
Saying that i know of two young GPs who come out of the profession due to stress and feeling over worked. That’s a long time to train to pull the parachute before your 35.
My wife picked up on it last year saying that A&E has become a GP service. They’re busy as it is due to bed blocking, extra patients due to GPs avoiding patients just adds to the pressure.
Sheepshanks said:
Red9zero said:
I got a call saying I needed to see the doctor after a recent blood test. Asked to book an appointment, but none available for the next two weeks, which is all they could book. Tried another three times since then, but still nothing available. Wouldn't be so had, but it's them that want to see me !
Exactly the same happened to my wife recently! She did a medium level of getting in strop with them and next thing one of the nurses called back and made an appt for her.
The main problem with accessing medical services is the time wasters who insist on seeing their GP or clogging up A&E because they have a twisted sock or the like.
For me the telephone e-service appears to screen out those that don't need to see a GP and would actually be better speaking with their pharmacist for advice.
I've used the 'patient access' service at my surgery a couple of times and have promptly received a call back within a few hours. In one case with pics of the 'complaint' I was happy with the advice over the phone in another case I was asked to come in for a F2F and attended the next day.
For me the telephone e-service appears to screen out those that don't need to see a GP and would actually be better speaking with their pharmacist for advice.
I've used the 'patient access' service at my surgery a couple of times and have promptly received a call back within a few hours. In one case with pics of the 'complaint' I was happy with the advice over the phone in another case I was asked to come in for a F2F and attended the next day.
Out GP surgery is a joke. You just cant get any service from the at all, face to face or over the phone. Only way to make an appointment is phone on the day at 8:00am, you'll be a queue for 30 minutes to be told all the appointments have gone, or occasionally if you are lucky you just get kicked off the phone.
They have an email system where you can ask the dr a question, I emailed saying I needed some steroid cream for my hand as there was a bad patch of eczema, I have had it in the past, no problems. Response comes back, no you need to make an appointment as you last had it 4 years ago. Pointless, even if I could make an appointment, they will look at it and then just write the prescription. Used the Doctor at Hand app I get with Axa, 5 minutes, private prescription done delivered next day, cost less than an NHS prescription.
They have an email system where you can ask the dr a question, I emailed saying I needed some steroid cream for my hand as there was a bad patch of eczema, I have had it in the past, no problems. Response comes back, no you need to make an appointment as you last had it 4 years ago. Pointless, even if I could make an appointment, they will look at it and then just write the prescription. Used the Doctor at Hand app I get with Axa, 5 minutes, private prescription done delivered next day, cost less than an NHS prescription.
Scabutz said:
Out GP surgery is a joke. You just cant get any service from the at all, face to face or over the phone. Only way to make an appointment is phone on the day at 8:00am, you'll be a queue for 30 minutes to be told all the appointments have gone, or occasionally if you are lucky you just get kicked off the phone.
They have an email system where you can ask the dr a question, I emailed saying I needed some steroid cream for my hand as there was a bad patch of eczema, I have had it in the past, no problems. Response comes back, no you need to make an appointment as you last had it 4 years ago. Pointless, even if I could make an appointment, they will look at it and then just write the prescription. Used the Doctor at Hand app I get with Axa, 5 minutes, private prescription done delivered next day, cost less than an NHS prescription.
So why did you feel the need to ring your GP surgery for a prescription for which you would pay the standard price if you have private health care insurance available? They have an email system where you can ask the dr a question, I emailed saying I needed some steroid cream for my hand as there was a bad patch of eczema, I have had it in the past, no problems. Response comes back, no you need to make an appointment as you last had it 4 years ago. Pointless, even if I could make an appointment, they will look at it and then just write the prescription. Used the Doctor at Hand app I get with Axa, 5 minutes, private prescription done delivered next day, cost less than an NHS prescription.
ucb said:
Scabutz said:
Out GP surgery is a joke. You just cant get any service from the at all, face to face or over the phone. Only way to make an appointment is phone on the day at 8:00am, you'll be a queue for 30 minutes to be told all the appointments have gone, or occasionally if you are lucky you just get kicked off the phone.
They have an email system where you can ask the dr a question, I emailed saying I needed some steroid cream for my hand as there was a bad patch of eczema, I have had it in the past, no problems. Response comes back, no you need to make an appointment as you last had it 4 years ago. Pointless, even if I could make an appointment, they will look at it and then just write the prescription. Used the Doctor at Hand app I get with Axa, 5 minutes, private prescription done delivered next day, cost less than an NHS prescription.
So why did you feel the need to ring your GP surgery for a prescription for which you would pay the standard price if you have private health care insurance available? They have an email system where you can ask the dr a question, I emailed saying I needed some steroid cream for my hand as there was a bad patch of eczema, I have had it in the past, no problems. Response comes back, no you need to make an appointment as you last had it 4 years ago. Pointless, even if I could make an appointment, they will look at it and then just write the prescription. Used the Doctor at Hand app I get with Axa, 5 minutes, private prescription done delivered next day, cost less than an NHS prescription.
Tyre Smoke said:
Perhaps. But they signed up for that with their eyes open.
They didn't have to decide to be a GP on £100k a year.
How much debt did they get into at Uni to train to be a GP? £60,000?They didn't have to decide to be a GP on £100k a year.
However, 40 years ago I just used to walk down to my GP's small surgery at 9am, sometimes there might have been four patients in front of me, but I would have been seen usually before 10am.
Now there are sixteen doctors in the lovely posh modern practice a mile or so away, I might be lucky to see one of them within three/four weeks for ten minutes.
wtf!!
Silvanus said:
Your wife's practice sounds one of the better ones, but still sounds like its understaffed and I'd imagine people who need to be seen are having to wait
Yes compared to what others experience her seems a bit better. You are right they are understaffed but no way to recruit more people! They had partnership positions available but most doctors just want to locum, more profitable and no hassle, etc. the staff, admin side is very inefficient and a lot of the patients are horrible. It’s a tough gig, she enjoys the medicine and challenges and gets a decent pay but it’s not a cosy job like some imply or a job where they don’t want to see patients. At least, in my wife’s case, the NHS is getting their monies worth and more.But yes understaffed but no doctors available, she reckons they probably need 3 more full time doctors but no one wants a salaried position, a partnership they just want to locum which is never great for the practice as it’s too costly and not for the patients. A locum at best delivers 60% of the work compared to a partner but gets paid huge amounts. Why become partner and committed to your patients and the community if you earn more locum 9-5 and no admin costs and do 60% of the job? It should be capped in my opinion.
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